WELCOME TO THE BACKSTAGE PASS

BADGES OF HONOR

The elusive and ever coveted Backstage Pass. The one meaningful take home memento that is only eclipsed by the performance itself. The pass conjures up images of backroom deals, booze flowing like fountains, groupies and hanger's on gathered around couches in the green room and outside the tour bus hoping to catch a glimpse of their hero.

The truth? At the end of the day the mystery of the aforementioned is just that - a mystery. Music is at it's essence a business and some activities although enjoyable are at the root "Bad for Business". Even the most seasoned road weary warrior of the road and stage will find themselves enjoying a bit of personal space and solitude before each nightly gig. This of course will be peppered with it's fair share of shenanigans and good times to pass the time but again it's business and the show goes on.

Over the years of my shooting I have been fortunate to be handed many backstage and photo pit media passes that I carry to this day as badges of honor and in a way they connect the memories of the past to moments of today.

Never lose that which you cherish most and creates the connection between yesterday and the memories of tomorrow.

CONNECTING WITH YOUR ARTIST

Whatever the music that calls to your spirit; wherever your journey leads and the sounds within must be understood. As in all relationships the listener feels a inner connection not just with the music but the lyrics. Mining a deeper vein and understanding is the reasoning for this needed connection.

Music is woven into our memories in a beautiful, indelible way. It helps form the fabric of our lives and then it allows us to instantly, viscerally recall chapters of our lives long since closed. The songs become instant picture postcards; melodic souvenirs.

So when Prince or David Bowie dies or we learn, my God, that Gord Downie has terminal brain cancer we are affected in a very deep, genuine way. It is a kick to the gut in large part because of what music does to our brain.

​Daniel Levitin, author of This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession, explained to me this week that we feel a connection to certain musicians because of a chemical process that goes back tens of thousands of years. “In our hunter-gatherer or forager days, we had to band together in order to protect ourselves from predators or enemy tribes and one of the evolutionary forces behind that was singing together around a campfire.

And people who sing together experience a release of the chemical oxytocin; and oxytocin causes feelings of trust to be increased and causes you to feel more socially bonded to the people you’re around,” said Levitin, who is the James McGill Professor of psychology and behavioural neuroscience at McGill University.

“So if you really like music and you’re listening to it, because of this chemical release you’re going to feel trustful toward and bonded with the artist.”

But the way we connect to music may be changing. Music has never been more accessible – and that may be affecting how we experience it.

Go ahead, create a bond with the music and the artist producing it for you.